Surgical cast-supported finger exerciser



J- A. DE MONA SURGICAL CAST-SUPPORTED FINGER EXERCISER July 11, 1944.

Filed Aug. 15, 1942 JUEEPHAJIIEMU FY22 ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 11, 1944 E FF R'? 1 v. Jo bh DeM a, Warrenm y This invenpipnjreletesf, tq kiln esithempy and mp lje .nantigule fly to. exercisers. for "ihe hands, and.

patients fingers ,o'r instruct them how to attend,

to; 'this ,themsdyes put patients are apt ,:to grow dalijeless as to b operv manul malnipulai' ipfn, after; aQti me er b9; negLeet -it, as a task, devoidl'ofwn'ov eity; Inwindustry and thenilitary service, where leitge 'numbe ts Lgers'ons may siifle 'armlbr, hand injurjes fthere may net be, (enough physicians, sng'gepiis and nurses te provide regular, p epeiz mmiijpuletier;v QfV-the fingers after casts. have been; applied, and, this duty "I falls to the patients them selyegf rqyiae 'anovLdeviee, adapted ,to beasseciated with a castpr the-like, which device; may be readily detgee'h'ably sedui edvtp the. fingersend dperatfiqvby the iminjured hafldof thepatient, 01 anqtherv, person. oas v t pr pe ly m n u at thefinge sjin norder tqkeep,thern supple, restore-E ilidulaijsioniandlaid n h a in the injured parts. 'Anqther important object to providegsueh a; dexiicefthe s ippor-ts ot which may be rigidly'ant chbredin ,the past and, when the past is, r'emoved, and broken, up, the device} may; be aga iniem; plbyfid iass eia ediwith anewlcast? 1 i q ,Still ,anqther n m o l nte p je t is to vprovide as ani u etdn,,as"'.described, S L- pmpeot {in triuca tu and ,so secur d to the? boqy 1 pi th p e fi i not in he, ,v t y, e e an v i wa fin izo iaimiv toibe operated- -Thi l nc mti' a'distinctionto devices whiciijmay be employeq to exercise the {fingers nnd ha lve lno. meansi foli. securing them to the'person. ,orez eprdvided with wrist strapsandgemovedflflae xerei'sing. C One of the' novel ,fea tu re'suoiwthisqdey cel is the; the at nt h s t e. device w th} im nd a a hes; in, i lner n. an l imes.., oi. ha it rem nder d s h i he .is. n tabl sqg qnan g ano h r m ort nt nbiebn 't pr v de n. inexpensive and read 11y manufactured de'viee of I i l d h iimi g e vm ,rw fl y.q i d f- 1 a e quan i i s. an gi e n p rticular mwmzz pact; takes, up but litpfile rqqinjqr s ipment. storagef 7 Y Another object is to, prpvide :5: device, as dscribed, which is 1 adaptedtb support the forearm,

with the fingers tree.

1g ciser ill usti-ating I v art beingg k n away fi lbeqtensh wportions 20 t iser- I ise; portions qaccessoriesj of ic aygbe.

pplied em,.an '.physi ianfs'or sur eonfsqifir t aidk'it. Ii gpplies to meansiqrf, detachably ,fl i eftq ,th sfin er i e only" 110 H nor he dev ce ,actua y cimin 'ir1t0 h w, with l e atients, pe n This me ns. 01' course, (may -be disqa dedffpom time to time; Other objects and advantages of this invention will e a perentwdurin the. urs wofut eidec i t n. f h i ven o ake n ic nhn n of the construction;

lEi 1's ,avtp plan .Qf e po i n o the 8 4331 9 7; 1 f pe t n mea n'fnspl n n ovel eX- n ee oh jien n d a n w e n f xtheif 01 theppera r q ,embs iqilm nt, ,of vth i n ion an whe l ll similar reference pharacWIS designate cartelpqn ins] Patti f ro h utr t e se l views th .v letter-h ay designate a surgical castyB, ti e 3Q ase i land'a-h humb r a, hummhand; .0 the nb l i v isefr jsla'w d ein qp ort m ansyEg herih me ns; i fit tin f me n 5 nect m r i k. between e ose at n m s;

a5, 1 ur n l s mw w biway arg amp e;

-it I nd P i th e s w yroifiquis i m ra he team as F5 11 tQ l ex snd q e, shoulder and in the clqirnsiyherethe expression surgical,

4 0 cestff 1's, emplqyeqg the wqrqegm is intended toemlr raee,jthe-upperJenn, fgreann, wrist aniq' h 2PM m nectedby a. base portion 22 having a, generally straight length, and forming, with either arm portion 20, substantially a right angle. Intermediate the lower ends 2| and upper ends 23 of the arm'port'ioiis' 20, are. disposed suitable bear-'- ings 24, which may be welded, soldered "or" other-' wise suitably secured to the arm portions 23,

with their openings in substantial aligrmient.

Extending from the upper ends 23 of the arm; Y-- portions is the anchoring means E. This may;

comprise a portion of the length of wirereferred to, forming a pair of substantiallystraig'htpro jections 25 from the arm portions. ZU Q'ealIybeing a continuation of the arm portions) and a pair of preferably undulating or corrugated 'p'ro ject ions 16 extendin somewhat perpendicularly with rei'er'encefto pthejprojections g5, s shown in Fig l, where these projections 26 extend'jaway fromvthfei fingers l 5. "A relatively long pairofi unu t nsf r ie i '.1 re ro. ,c provide] substantial anchorage but also} because the arm and the'ca'st may "be supportedraised from' afsupporting surface bylthe support means projections 26 @also strengthen the Theloperating means Ffis' shownas a length of, wire formed into ahandle portion 30; and a bell: crank portion 3|, with the .Wire extending.

throu h the bearings. 24 and thebellcrankportion 3| extending betwe en-thenarm portions 2 0. Pref-i c,

erably'four throws 32 arevfprovided for thebell crank portion 3|, with a clip'receivingsection 33 to each throw. From Figs. Zand '3. it may be seen how the' throws 32 may, be arranged; This. has been 'found'to be the best arrangementgforh a finger exerciser for anflnjured arm or-"hand. Pivotallycarried by. each throw 32 at the clip receiving section 33 thereof is a suitable clip on connector v 34, which. may be formed offspringy' wire and incl'udefla' pair of ;arms 35, diverging from a pullflchain receiving eye36 withthe'w'ire notquite itouching as at 31,,informingtheeye.

The free .ends of the .arms are formed. into a,

pair of eyes 38 embracingfthe clip receiVingsection 33 in a pivotal connectiontherewith jsA suitable knob 33 may be {provided for -.the handle portion 30. .FromFig. 2.11; may beseen tl'i at'there' are no sharp bends in the: construction 'sho'wn I As for the conne ction or linkvGbetween the operating means F and finge grip means H -it is preferred to .provide'lengthsoj conventional pull chain lll This chain, whichnis i'requently employed, associated with. electric .light sockets has no sharp edges nor projections, Four such lengths are provided with one ofthe end portions of; each accommodated in a'p ull ehain receiving eye 36, for the eye 36 is a little less in inner circumference than is the circumierence ofthe-spheres-orvbeads 4| of ,thepull chain 40.,

And the space" providedat '31 in vtlie' clipsi 34 will accommodate; the short length ofs connect ing material 42 between each -sphere-M. when the pull chain is v slipped through the space at 31, one of the spheres 4| will be caught and retained by the .eye 36, and it is' nowapparent that many adjustments, in lengthQofhthe pull;

chain 4|! is possible. Carried at the opposite end portion of each, pull chain 40, is a second clip 45, which maybe termedithe finger grip means clip This isshown in detail in Fig, 4: and may, be formed, of a length of.,springy wire-into an.

eye portion 46, with the wirefnot quite closing an I adhesive tape ,receivingportion 4 9 [at the end of the '45 opposite the ."eye portion 45.

a et onlyfto M 4 S0 fli t'wh nth y rm s $1 1.11

' and'a"flexib'1e link connecting said bell m drawn so as to form a fist, I that there, will be only a slightfmovement of the wardly extending eye portion 46 with the space 41 function similarly to the eye 36 and space 31 of the clips 34.

Th finger grip means H may comprise two short lengthsgg'ofi converitioiiai adliesiye tape 50 and 5| for each finger to be exercised."'The ends of the length 50 may be secured to the finger tip H with the remaining portion of the length 5o forming a loop 52,,looped over the adhesive tape :Qreceiving portion 49 at the end of the clip 45.

Then the second length 5| of the tape may be --wrapped?about"the finger tip, overlapping the ends of th e 1engtl 5|l, as shown in Fig. 1. Since adhesive tape is widely used and is inexpensivef'after the cast is'removed the lengths 5|! and 5l of tape may be discarded.

, 1 i t iifm ld m ii 'n .hang: f'ii nt chain; and the clips'34 'and45 wide'a'dJ merit,

in the lengths of the pull ohainsislpossible; less than four fingers maybe exercise" I desireldjby omitting one or more, of 'thechja onnection'sl and if, it is desiredfto'jfre the fingers of thepulli chain connections at any t thejconnectio'ns may be readily .slipped from the clips '45. they may be. as readily slip'ped'int the'plips 45,

As the surgical castA;is being 'formed and lis still plastic, the anchoring means E. is inserted, nto theicastlw iasu writ m hsDde-i. pending from the castfl 'ljheposition of ex erciser C along the arm dependsgupon the 'l i i-r tion of the e st. Fromltheexampleshowm it S1 apparentthiat the position of the aependi gs n-g p rtme'ans I? may be at subst i'n portion of 'the hand, "Ihe iinge'r ip A y .-.n wt .b' a te m a te .i h st h thesu'pport' means 11 upon the base lport thereof, the knob 39 grasped by tlle'lmin'j handof the, patient (the exerciser gmaybe "nably pl'acingth'e handle portion} is ape; parent) and as theoperating ""means"1f s.;- tated, the fingers'will 'be lflegged jwith the lti sl 'ub ed. a d; for

fingers; it e outstretched cjr in any 0th rposii; tion they may assume-ah The adjustments: 'the' connections may oi cq i se :be ma'q'e withf' tlie,

,. fingers; in Iaily osition except; with the hand closed; "'A1ternately moving the Qconnection fGI toward and awayirom the support ine ansiDjasj the bell crank rotates,"willoc ausejf e'"iin'gersj to move therewith andfevenla slack deyelopingli n,

1 the pull chain Willillot dislodge .i't .iroin, the clips.)

. Various thai s a be l i -h 'vf im f the invention herein shown and videscribe cl or, tolf. the method of .'applyingl the exerciser enema-3 nipul'atingjit without departin from the spirit; I

and, n er e i P- 1 a i 

